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Hayward receives Beacon award; Chamber and schools highlight local events and student honors
Summary
The city received the Institute for Local Government Beacon Program leadership award for equity and engagement in climate work. City officials also highlighted upcoming community events and recognized Hayward Unified students who won speech and debate awards; the Hayward Chamber reported strong attendance for recent festivals.
The City of Hayward received a Beacon Program leadership and innovation award from the Institute for Local Government (ILG) for equity and engagement in sustainability and climate, city staff announced Oct. 21. ILG program manager Nikita Sinha delivered the award presentation remotely and praised the city’s outreach to communities of color, low‑income residents, special‑needs populations and youth during development of the city’s climate action plan.
City officials recognized Environmental Services Manager Eric Pearson and the Public Works and Environmental Services teams for their work implementing the climate action plan. The mayor also announced a pending in‑chamber presentation by CalCities that will honor the city’s economic development program launched during the COVID period; Cal State East Bay, Chabot College and Eden EOP were listed among partners expected to attend that future presentation.
During public comment, Lucy Lopez, president and CEO of the Hayward Chamber of Commerce, reported that the recent Mariachi Festival (moved this year to Southland Mall) drew about 8,000 attendees — roughly a 35% increase from the prior year — and that the inaugural Taste of Hayward sold out with about 500 ticket holders and 23 participating restaurants. Lopez thanked partners including the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, Southland Mall and several local businesses, and expressed support for the selection of Jennifer Ott as city manager.
The city also honored students from the Hayward Unified School District’s Migrant Education speech and debate program, which took top prizes at regional competitions and qualified many students for state competition. Staff presented a certificate recognizing students’ success in critical thinking and public speaking; coaches and program staff attended and brought medals and trophies to the council chamber.
Assistant City Manager Mary Thomas and other staff highlighted two upcoming public events: the city’s free compost giveaway for households at the old Skywest Golf Course on Oct. 25 (7:30–10:30 a.m.) and the Hayward Public Library trunk‑or‑treat event at Heritage Plaza on Oct. 25 (11 a.m.–3 p.m.), during which the city will temporarily close portions of Walken and C Streets to accommodate programming.
No formal council action was associated with these presentations and recognitions; they were provided for information and community acknowledgement.
